This monograph expresses some of the authors thoughts about developing theory and conducting research in the field of nonviolent action. The authors see it as a step toward a research agenda, although no list of projects is suggested in it. Instead, it is a rationale for research and theory building. Research agendas are an informal genre, appearing irregularly and without agreed-upon standards of form and content. They provide an opportunity for researchers to reflect upon their activity, report their reflections in a somewhat systematic fashion, and attempt to convince others that there is merit in the approach they prescribe. In this essay, our attention is directed toward an emerging field of study, that of nonviolent action employed as a technique of struggle in the course of human conflicts.

Ronald McCarthy and Christopher Kruegler